Titans Unite
by ShadowAuthor23
Summary: After the battle with Slade, the Old and New Titans return home to mourn the lose of one of their own. But when he returns, what new evils will follow? I know, terrible summary, just read the stuff and enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, here is the first chapter of the next story. If you don't know what's going on, look back to my first story The Beginning of the Start. Thanks for all those who kept with me during that story, I'm glad people liked it enough to want more. **

**Chapter 1: A Titan's Return**

The soft pitter-patter was defined in the quiet tower. The drips fell and echoed as the splash impacted the cold, metal roof and off of the wet glass. It was dark and gloomy, but nobody complained. Sorrow still lingered in the T-shaped tower. The past two days had been hell for them all. Dragging their feet around, stuck in eternal silence. Every once and a while, sobs could be heard, quietly muffled, but heard by all; there had almost been a silent agreement that they would all lie in their respective beds and stay awake. They didn't know if it was right for them to sleep. Nobody needed to ask to know that nobody had slept during the previous days.

Now they were entering the third, and it was beginning to be too much for them. Though they stayed in silence, a couple of the members decided to try and move on, already Dick Grayson had gone out to buy a new house with his wife, Starfire. They had asked their daughter to come along, but she hadn't left her room since that uneventful day. When they had arrived after the trip home, she had jumped out of the jet and sped towards her room, locking it shut and turning her defenses on. It was clear Nightfire didn't want to be disturbed.

Raven and Beast Boy were the only ones who seemed to be taking the loss harder than Nightfire. Garfield had to carry his wife from the jet to Raven's old room, for Beast Boy's room was turned into a storage closet once he and Raven moved out years before, plus nobody could vouch for the safety of that room; they were afraid of contracting cancer or be crushed under all the junk and old pizza's in the room. When asked why Cyborg never cleaned it out so that it could be used efficiently, he merely stated that the pizza had challenged him to a duel and he never got over the loss. When Nightwing tried the same thing, he had embarrassingly admitted that that was one mighty pizza.

Raven and Garfield, though, didn't lock themselves in their room the entire time. Garfield would occasionally come out and grab some food to deliver to his wife, who was meditating, trying to find her son's body in the wreckage that was once Slade's lab. Even though they had recently had the funeral the day after they returned, she was still searching for something to put in the coffin.

They remembered that day vividly. How the coffin was slowly lowered into the soft, malleable ground on that jejune day. Everything seemed dulled and grayed, though the entire team remembered it in sharp detail. It was the only time that Nightfire had exited her room, and she immediately returned to it once the last shovelful of dirt was pounded on top of the pile, burying the empty casket. Now they were slowly moving into the awkward time after the funeral, wondering if it was OK to talk about or even mention Spencer. Was it OK to mention him? Was it OK to joke? When will it be OK again to laugh or play or sing or dance? Will it ever be OK or will it infinitely be wrong? When will life return to how it should be? Will it ever?

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Spencer jumped over the massive barrier as if it was a running fence. Stretching his legs outward to clear the dark, massive Shadow wall, he cleared it with ease, landing solidly on his feet and continued his running non-stop. This was his realm, and he could do anything here. Granted, this world of his was dark, scary, constantly moving, shifting with the changes of the upper world, the real world… The world he needed to return too.

Spencer looked around his shadowy surroundings. From what he saw, he guessed that he was probably somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Great. He was hardly making any time at all. He still had to make it to California and the Shadow World didn't have a Panama Canal, so he obviously couldn't use that. The Shadow World could only be traveled as if the world was made up of only land, especially since the water in the upper world made the shadows all jerky and whacky constantly made things more difficult than they had to be. Spencer had to be sure he was extremely careful anytime he crossed any body of water. It wasn't that he couldn't handle the nausea, trippyness, rocking, headaches, vomiting or fainting that could possibly occur if he didn't stay focused, but the explosive diarrhea was what made him wary of traveling over shadow water. Not to mention that, unlike the land objects which were always solid in the Shadow Realm (though they were still pretty trippy and shaky), water from the physical world would not always be solid in the Shadow World. Often Spencer would find himself running across solid Shadow and then the next he would be drowning in the black goo he called Shadow Shit.

Spencer's right foot suddenly sank into the ground and he tripped over himself, he leg stuck in the ground. Pushing himself up, Spencer looked at his encased leg. More Shadow Shit. He growled in frustration and pulled at his leg as it slowly moved out of the dark, muddy pile.

_Why can't Shadow Water be like normal water? Why can't it just be like any normal liquid? Is it that hard to have something so simple? And why does it have to spread itself out all the time? It gets on my nerves._

Pulling harder, Spencer managed to pull his leg free. He looked down at his leg and grimaced at the disgusting goo slowly slide down his leg, forming a small, thick pool of the stuff around his foot. Shaking off the rest of the goo, Spencer turned around and sped off toward something solid. Anything solid.

It wasn't until another 20 minutes did he finally reached the coast of what he assumed to be New York. He really wanted to go back to the surface and rest after all the Shadow shit he had gone through, but he pressed on. He estimated it would take around 45 minutes until he reached California if he Shadow traveled, but by the time he reached the tower, he'd be dead tired. He grunted and continued forward.

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Nightfire lied silently in her bed as she sniffed and wiped her nose. She had been crying for two straight days. Her eyes were red and sore and she felt light-headed. The room seemed to move on its own as she lay still in her prison of sorrow and tears. Why did he have to die? Why did he have to be the hero? Why didn't he realize that a hero is only good if he was alive to be a hero?

She moaned and pressed her face deeper into her pillow. She wished that it would smother her, the slow, painless, comfortable death would seem welcome, but it was impossible. Her alien side would not allow it, she would start breathing through her skin or something, she didn't know how it worked it just did, and she could hold her breath for a hell of a long time, so it wouldn't matter anyway. She looked at her alarm clock – 4 am. Great. Everyone was sleeping, trying to get over the painful memory, except her. She couldn't get passed it. It was like a giant mountain that she could never fly around, go around, or punch through, it was just there. Towering over her, imposing its will and sorrow over her like oil on a bird, she just couldn't get rid of it on her own as it encased her body, making movement impossible no matter how hard she tried. She just wished that he was back.

A small breath of air. Nightfire swung her head up quickly, intent on listening. She got out of bed and tiptoed to the wall where she heard the sudden noise. Pressing her ear against it, she listened closely for the sound.

Sobs and chocks were heard from the other side, a silent crying from the other room. Nightfire closed her eyes to remember… yes, it was Raven and Garfield's room. One of them must've been crying. The soft sobs of whispers of "Why? Oh Why?" determined that it was, indeed, Garfield crying. She listened carefully at his stifled breaths of air as he choked on the very air he breathed. It was all very choppy, he seemed to be drowning in his own tears, though he remained for the most part silent, as to not wake the Tower. Or maybe it was out of shame? Shame for not protecting his only son. Shame for crying. Shame for being bested during their greatest victory.

Nightfire reached her hand up to her cheek. She felt the cold, salty tear slide down her face, silently curving toward her mouth. The salty tear left it's taste in her mouth as it formed with the rest of the liquid in her mouth.

She was being selfish. She hadn't even left her room and hadn't even though about Spencer's parents. They were obviously the ones to take it harder than she ever would. But yet they tried to go on. They tried to fight through the hurt and the pain and use it to make themselves stronger, better people. They were not going to let Spencer's sacrifice be in vain… and she was. She felt a sudden wave of emotion engulf her as she felt disappointment. It just didn't feel right. She buried her head in her pillow again. _Why do I always feel so sorry about myself? _She sighed, these past two days have been crap.

With a mighty crash the tower shook, Nightfire rolled off her bed and slammed against the floor, knocking her knee against the hard, wooden bedpost. She stifled a yelp and grasped at her knee. She winched at the pain in her knee as she got to her feet, but she had to ignore it. She held her knee tightly as she felt the warm drip of blood rush from the gash that was formed. Like her mother, her powers mainly deprived from happiness and other emotions, and being depressed made her weak.

She pressed her blood covered hand on the door sliding button and limped out into the main hall. It was a disaster, the couches from the other side of the room had flew all the way to the other side where the hall was and were scattered, half-buried in the walls. A thick, black mist emanated from a large crater in the center of the room, the cracks extended all the way to the kitchen and all the glass and windows had broken, the TV had a huge gash in it and electricity cackled from the hole of it. Shattered glass littered the floor and encompassed the whole room. It was smoky and the air seemed to cackle with energy. She had only experienced this kind of power once before… but it was impossible.

In a clatter Nightfire turned around as she leaned heavily against the doorway. She winced at the sight. Usually she was very comfortable with her friend's in their nightwear, but seeing Victoria (aka Tech Girl's) parents both with towels wrapped around themselves was too much for even her. Oh God… the images. She shook her head of the images and returned to look at the figure as he slowly stood up. He was stumbling to get up, he looked exhausted and dead-like. Nightfire tried to summon her energy balls, but she couldn't. Her emotions were too confused for her to do anything. The mist slowly cleared and she heard a yelp from Raven behind her. Breathing heavily, trying not to fall down as he leaned on his own knee. He flipped his purple hair out of his eyes and stared at the group before him.

"Sup guys," Spencer said.

**Hope you guys liked it. Chapter 2 will be up when I get to it (duh). Please read and review and don't be afraid to give out ideas, it does actually help :D so yeah. Again, Read And Review, peace out guys. **


	2. A New Evil

**IMPORTANT: BEFORE YOU READ ANYMORE, I HAVE TO INFORM YOU TO READ MY PREQUEL CALLED: A PLANTED SEED. I JUST FINISHED IT AS I STARTED THIS CHAPTER AND WOULD LIKE YOU TO READ IT BEFORE CONTINUING DUE TO ENSURE STORY CONSISTENCY AND LACK OF CONFUSION. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THOUGH. **

Spencer lay on the broken couch fast asleep. His limbs were construed in odd positions from where he carelessly plopped himself down. His parents had taken the liberty of changing him out of his clothes and donning him with fresh, clean ones. Everyone surrounded around the couch, or at least got as close as they dared. They didn't want to disturbed the Logan family moment, Raven and Garfield sitting by their son's side. Everyone else was cleaning. Cyborg and Sarah had quickly gone back to their room to get changed. Levitate was using his powers to move items back to their original positions and Tech Girl was working on trying to put the technology back up. Nightfire and Starfire were both off cleaning the kitchen. Nightfire was picking up broken pieces of china plates. Every so often she would glance at the miracle known as Spencer Logan. She just couldn't understand how he could've survived. Granted, she was glad of it, but even Slade didn't survive that onslaught, and he was wearing armor. Spencer, though, was wearing nothing but jeans and a shirt. His mother was healing him at the moment, she told the team how Spencer had tried earlier to set his legs, but it was only by luck did his Shadow Healing hold him together. The bones in his legs were almost completely shattered, his body suffered from a multitude of third degree burns, he suffered from three broken ribs and his shoulder was displaced. His clothes were completely tattered and his powers were completely out of his control if he even used them, hence the dramatic entrance. Nightfire remembered last time she saw Spencer not have control of his powers like that was when he was seven, on his first trip to the Shadow World. He didn't realize that he had to suppress his powers on his entrances back, or he'd blow everything apart. On his entrance back on that day, he created a crater in his backyard so big they had to borrow city money to fix it up. It was the most incredible thing she had seen in her life, but now there was this.

Cyborg and Sarah reentered the room and looked at it. Sarah sighed and joined her daughter at repairing the technology. Cyborg motioned for Raven and Garfield to follow him to the medical room, where they could bring Spencer to speed up the healing process. They complied and carried their broken son into the medical facility. Nightfire looked down back at her work. She hadn't realized the ceramic plates were cutting her.

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Levitate rotated the couch another 90 degrees. He was surprised enough as it was that Spencer had survived, but that power level was incredible! He never knew how much Spencer had been suppressing, but now he knew. He placed the couch down and looked at his watch: 5:00 am. He would have to take his injection in about an hour. He sighed. He hated how he had to take a stupid injection just to keep himself alive and keep his own powers from killing him. Sometimes he even hated that everything was about Spencer. But he knew that was stupid, Spencer had never done any harm against him and he never meant to. He just seemed to fall into the mold of the leader, and Levitate didn't. He looked back toward his work and continued moving things with his mind. He was just a loner he guessed. He had never had any real friends, and Spencer had been the first. And now… and now he was envious of him. It seemed wrong to him, and he disregarded the jealously. Why dwell on something that wasn't right?

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Spencer's breathes were quick and shallow. Garfield watched his son with a careful eye. He wasn't going to let him escape him this time. But he couldn't help but keep going through his mind the machine that Slade built. It was so familiar, the feel of the energy being sapped from him. If only he could remember what it was. Then it hit him. That day when he and Raven were trapped in the cave! That weird glowing rock of course! The energy drain, the normalcy returning. Slade did get ahold of that rock long ago, and he used it.

He sighed. They got lucky. Really lucky. But Beast Boy knew from experience, sometimes your luck was just what the opponent wanted. They had to keep on their toes, his instincts told him something more was up. But all he could do is wait. It always boiled down to waiting. He looked back at his son. He was just happy he had him back.

Garfield looked to his wife and smiled, grasping her hand in his own. He would talk to her later about his conclusions, but for now they just waited. Once their son returned to his full health, they would throw a party for his return, it only seemed necessary. Their children had made a great team, soon they would be going off on their own to fight crime. He sighed. He never wanted a life like that for Spencer, but now it seemed inevitable. He guessed crime fighting was in the family blood, and now that he got a taste of it, he won't go back. That was the problem of having such huge power, even if you used it for good, you still want it. The power was an addiction either way they put it, some just used it for better reasons than others, but they would never give it up. If any of them had the chance to give up their power to someone more worthy of it, if there was anybody like that, they would never give it up. Power was just too strong, whether it was for good or bad, it had a curse. But they had to carry that curse with them, and use it for good.

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_You can't die child. You freed me. You have done me a great service, and for that I will let you live. For over a thousand years I have been trapped in that accursed rock, rebuilding my energy from those who touched me. Before I was trapped, I was a god among men, but they feared me. Azarath Metrion and Zinthos feared me and locked me away. But now I return, and they are no longer here to stop me from regaining my kingdom. Shadow Child, arise from the rocks and live. _

Spencer opened his eyes. He was covered in sweat and he was breathing heavily. That voice. He remembered hearing that voice before he woke up in the cavern. He couldn't stop thinking about it. It played itself over and over again. That cold, evil voice, it sent shivers down his spine. Whoever this "god" was, it didn't bode well for anybody.

He looked around his surroundings. He was in the medical facility, the short, digital beeps went rapidly at the pace of his heartbeat. Spencer breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself down. It was only a dream. Sometimes his powers would play tricks on him, it wasn't a far-fetched idea, considering how he was only now slowly regaining control over his powers. He looked out the window from his bed, the sun was just rising and it was a gorgeous mix of orange, yellow, and red. He looked to his right to see both his parents sleeping, curled up together at his bedside. Spencer smiled. They must've been exhausted after what happened. He looked at the clock: 6:30 am. Yeah, it was morning all right.

Spencer quietly got out of his bed on the left side, as to not disturb his parents and he quietly tip-toed out of the room. He looked up and down the hallway. All clear. Walking quickly, but quietly, Spencer headed down the hallway to the kitchen. He was in one of those weird hospital robes, and he hoped that his butt wasn't visible, but as far as he could tell, no draft yet. He looked into the living room and saw everyone sitting down around the couch, draped in blankets and drinking either coffee, tea, or some hot cocoa. He could smell the mix of aromas from where he was standing and his mouth began to water at the wonderful smells that engulfed him. Smiling to himself, he shuffled to the kitchen area and made himself some hot chocolate. Grabbing his warm cup he walked up to the couch behind where everyone was sitting and took a sip. Relishing in the warmth he spoke.

"Sup dudes."

Everyone jumped up and once violently, cups went flying into the air and a couple of chairs and a couch were tipped over. Spencer looked down at the pile of bodies before him and blinked a couple of times before he sipped his hot chocolate. Man these guys were weird.

Nightfire was directly beneath him looking up at him on her back. She blinked a couple of times and a huge smile dawned on her face. Uh-oh, happy-happy-joy-joy time from their own Nightfire Grayson. He embraced himself for the squeal and crushing embrace.

"OHMYGODI'MSOHAPPYYOU'''RESUPPOSEDTOBE! YIPPEE!" she spoke in a high-pitched voice that would've made anybody's ears bleed, speaking quickly all her words so they ran together in one, long rant. He didn't even see her get up, she moved so fast, and before he realized it, his ribs were cracking and his lungs were collapsing from her violent hug. His face turning red from lack of oxygen, Spencer tried to breath, but all he could accomplish was a small, weak squeak.

"NIGHTFIRE! YOU PUT HIM DOWN THIS INSTANT!" Spencer felt himself fall to the floor in a crumpled heap, like a ragdoll. Starfire was standing on the side, hands on her hips in her nightgown. Spencer hated to admit it, but Nightfire's mom was awfully hot and was definitely considered a MILF by most people his age, or any age. And it wasn't any better now that her full figure was defined in her nightgown, but he felt that was disgusting, and he looked for someone else his own age who was hot, like Nightfire.

Nightfire was in a fitting nightgown. It was a small very light pink lacy one that was slightly transparent so her undergarments were partially seen, with a small bow where her cleavage was. Nightfire probably didn't realize when she bought it that it was meant for sexual purposes, she probably just thought it was cute with the bow. His red face began even redder. Her silky, jet black hair was down and hung loosely around her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with happiness and Spencer groaned at the thought of her crying with joy. Much like her mother, if Nightfire began crying with joy, they were all sure to drown.

"Uhh, hi Nightfire. And thanks Mrs. Grayson." He got up from his crumpled state and leaned heavily on the nearest thing he could find, which was Nightfire.

Sounds suddenly came from the hallway and Spencer's eyes widened. Oh no. It was his mother.

She burst through the hallway door, glowing dark essence engulfing her. She looked around fanatically before settling her eyes on her son. Using her dark traveling capabilities, she immediately appeared before Spencer and grabbed him in her own crushing embrace. Spencer could see past her that his dad had run down the hallway as well, he was breathing heavily and leaned against the door from his sprint. But he quickly recovered and joined in the embrace. The living room was becoming pretty crowded.

"Okay guys, yes, I'm back. Now can we please stop crushing me?" All the voices started mumbling apologies and took a few steps back from him. Spencer laughed. He didn't know he had been missed so much.

As soon as everyone backed away, they were almost immediately in his face again. Bombarding him with questions on what happened. Spencer put his hands up in defense and tried to answer as many as possible, with his mom at his side turning demon on those asking stupid questions.

Nightwing/Robin walked up and pushed everybody else out of the way. Taking a deep breath he separated everyone out of the way.

"Alright guys, we all have our questions, but let's wait until after Spencer tells his tale." He motioned for Spencer to begin and Spencer nodded gratefully and told his tale.

He kept his story simple and to the point. Every so often the group would nod or he'd hear Nightwing mutter a "Holy (blank)" at moments. But other than that, it was a smooth, quick story. He didn't mention the voice he heard, he didn't want to sound crazy and he felt that he didn't want to worry anybody just yet.

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The dark entity walked along the ruins of the broken lab. He was a tall, suave, handsome figure. Well-groomed and his figure was commanding and demanded respect. Power emanated from him, dripping like water off his body. He looked to his left at a large pile of rocks, a single, metallic looking hand stuck out of it. His curiosity now in motion, the man walked up to the hand and grabbed it. The effect was immediate as energy welled into the broken body. Dark symbols covered the once-dead man's armor, claiming him as the other man's property. Slade looked at the man who brought him back to life with deadly intent. Half of his mask had fallen off and cuts and bruises were now extended as the dark symbols traced them.

"Rise. You will be my first minion in my new kingdom." The empty shell that was once Slade continued to stare, not responding. The man smiled, that was easy to take control of.

"I am your new master… Nightskin."

**Thanks for reading Chapter 2. I know, pretty boring and not well written, but hopefully I can get this story to take off in the right direction, I could feel that it can and will be great. Please review this story and check out my two previous stories if you haven't already. Also, I am more than open to ideas and criticisms if you have any. Thanks a lot! **


	3. Another Adventure

**Hey guys, I am REALLY sorry that this chapter took so long. But I think it was worth it. I went through this chapter 3 times, each a different version. But I think this one is the right one. I want you to especially pay attention to some symbolism I've been experimenting with (check the third paragraph out, it's my favorite amount of symbolism and I hope it was clear enough for you guys as to what I was saying). So please, enjoy this excellent chapter (at least I hope it is) and your opinions will not be left unheard. (also, if you are confused, when I say Master of Darkness and King of Night, I'm referring to Spencer)**

**Chapter 3: A New Threat**

The world moved past him in a dark, horrid blur. He was running away. The shadows around him seemed to stretch out their edges like evil claws ready to grasp at him. He bent his head down and started pumping his legs faster, trying to escape. But it kept following him. A sinister, evil voice laughed in the background, it's cackling sending shivers down your spine and seemed to surround your entire body, squeezing all the life and joy out of you until you were nothing left than a cold, empty shell of your former self. Spencer made a quick left and ducked into an alleyway, the darkness passing mere inches above him, the tentacles of night swiping at him as it passed over, brushing against him like strands of hair when the wind blows it around, but it wasn't the pleasant brushing. It seemed to suck the life out of him. He was scared and he hugged the ground as closely as he could in the hopes that he would not be touched by the horrendous evil surrounding him.

The voice continued with its laughter. Spencer was afraid. That laughter took all the life and joy out of him. He couldn't think straight and he couldn't move out of fear and he shook like a child. He crunched himself into a tight fetal position as the darkness swirled around him, closing itself nearer and nearer as it slowly began to engulf his entire body. He began to cry because no matter how hard he tried, the Master of Darkness could not control his own power. He looked through the tornado of darkness and saw a suave, smiling man. A man smiling over the pain and misery of the King of Night. Evil radiated off of him and Spencer closed his eyes as the darkness blanketed itself over him, the last sight being the man's smile widening, at the extinguishing of another life.

Spencer burst up from his sleep. He was breathing heavily. The sweat glistened off his shirtless body in the poor lighting of the moon through his window. Light shone through the blinds, creating a barred pattern of dark and light stripes. A small sliver of moonlight slid down Spencer's face and over one eye like a scar where the blinds had broken. The darkness was surrounding him, and for the first time, Spencer was threatened by it. The voice was still clear in his mind, and it didn't seem to fade away. The maniacal laughter sent shivers down his spine. He couldn't escape it. Burying his head in his hands, Spencer breathed heavily, choking back the overwhelming feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. He had never been so scared in his entire life, especially of the dark.

_See? You can never possibly defeat me."_ the laughter was maniacal and vicious, as though the voice knew something Spencer didn't, and was holding it out in front of him, laughing at Spencer's inability to distinguish what it was. He put his head back in his hands and sighed. Why couldn't things ever be easy?

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"Spencer!" Nightfire exclaimed in fear as she bolted upright in her head. She was breathing heavily, sweat glistened off her brow. Her normally cheery, sky blue room look dark and dastardly in the night. She wiped her forehead and released a sigh of relief. It had only been a nightmare. Her light blue, silk nightgown was drenched in sweat and she could already tell her undergarments were showing through. Turning sideways, Nightfire dangled her long legs slightly the floor and searched for her slippers in the dark. Unable to find them, she reached her hand out and turned on her energy. The greenish glow lit up most of the room, though shadows danced in the wilderness of the corners. Slowly getting off the bed, her bare feet touched the cold, metallic floor. Her bedroom was the only one without carpet on the floor, though Cyborg had said he was soon going to place carpet there, but for now it was just a cold, cold floor.

"Where are those slippers?" she asked quietly to herself. She held up her hand and let her light dance across the walls like hand puppets until she spotted her fluffy, light blue slippers in the far corner of her room next to her dresser. Levitating about an inch off the floor, she hurried to them. Landing softly into them until they embraced her feet in their warmth, she searched through her drawers for dry pajamas. She didn't think she was even capable of producing that much sweat. But apparently she was.

Once she changed into her clean pajamas, she softly walked back to her bed and fell forward face-first, smothering herself in the pillow, thinking about that awful nightmare.

She had been in a large, open, white-wash area. Nothing was in-sight all around her. The only aspect of any sort of other presence was the far-off sound of yells. Yells of combat from a single source fighting desperately against an unrelenting opponent.

Flying towards the sounds of the grunts, she saw come into her line of sight, far off in the distance, dark blasts of what looked to be two figures going against each other. As she neared them, she was able to make out one of them to be Spencer, the source of the grunts and yells. He looked exhausted, power emanated from his body, dripping from his arms as he struggled to control his powers and keep them from escaping. His clothes were torn and blood seeped from his wounds and large, dark blots the color of rust stained his clothes and literally bled through. The other figure was one she did not know, though he sent cold, evil shivers down her spin. He was dressed in a black, button-down shirt and red tie with a black sport's coat. His hands were in his pockets as he casually continued to sidestep Spencer's brutal attacks. There was not a scratch on him and he seemed to not put up any sort of effort as he kept his cool, brutal smirk on his face as he watched Spencer fight through the hurt and the pain in his pointless attempts to land a blow.

"Spencer!" she called out to him, but he didn't turn. His eyes were glazed over and focused on the task at hand. The other man turned to look at Nightfire and smiled a cold, secret grin. He had what many called the "bad-boy" mentality, you just seemed to be attracted to him, his suaveness and coolness was appealing and almost god-like, but there was still that evil that you felt was on the inside of him, but still choose to ignore due to the irresistible attraction to him. As the man turned, Spencer took his chance and, with a mighty cry, lunged towards his opponent, lifting both his hands in the air to unleash his full might upon his collected foe.

Spencer was in the air and came crashing towards his foe, a fire of hate and vengeance burning in his eyes straight from his soul. As his full form neared itself to strike his opponent, the man turned quickly on his heel and shot his arm straight out, fingers closed together and stretched forward, much like a snake would strike. The hand coolly cut through Spencer's body and emerged cleanly out the back. There was no blood on the man's hand, he moved to quickly for it to accumulate, but soon blood began to seep out of the hole in Spencer's abdomen as his body stayed in mid-air, held up only by the man's arm. The life hand gone out of his eyes and he turned towards Nightfire, a look of sadness and defeat, until as soon as it was there, it was out, and Spencer's lifeless body slumped forward, gravity pulled him down. The man stayed in the same position for a few seconds, holding Spencer up by his one arm, allowing the blood to drip out. As casually as he would throw away a trash bag, the man flung Spencer at Nightfire's feet. He rolled and stopped on his back, almost touching Nightfire's toes. His mouth was agape and a small pool of blood was leaking out of his wound, forming a sticky puddle of blood around her where she stood. His lifeless eyes gazed up at her, almost demanding of her as to why she didn't help.

Tears formed in her eyes and her body collapsed as gravity soon became too overwhelming for her. She felt his blood soak into her clothes, staining them. She bent her head down and touched foreheads with him. The tears wouldn't stop flowing and her voice was gone. She couldn't scream or cry out as the tears choked back her vocals, until finally, she screamed. And that was when she woke up.

The nightmare was still fresh in her mind as she closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would overtake her and force her to forget the terrible images. But when she awoke that day, they were still there.

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Spencer didn't get up for his usual workout that morning. Instead, he opted to stay in his room to think about the mysterious voice. He had not seen the man in his dream, but whoever was the source of that voice, was obviously looking for trouble. It wasn't until noon was he finally forced to leave his room. It was a bright, sunny day and the entire city was outside enjoying the day. Spencer's mother had used her powers to break down the door and drag him out into the living room so the entire group could go out for a picnic. Usually Raven didn't like going outside, especially on picnics, but Garfield had persuaded her that it was a great way for everybody to try and get back to some sort of normalcy. So she hesitantly agreed and now they were all going to go to the park and enjoy adults vs. children sports and lunch.

Spencer had changed into some purple athletic shorts and a dark-purple Tee. When his father asked him why he would wear such dark clothes on such a hot day, Spencer had simply said that he enjoyed the extra challenge it gave him when the sun beat down upon him, and how it would make him sweat more, and the obvious advantage for the other team. Garfield had shrugged and continued to opt for a green polo and white and green plaid shorts.

"Come on guys, it's time to go!" Starfire cried out. She was wearing an orange blouse with short white shorts, not knowing how attractive she was presenting herself. Nightwing stood at her side protectively, his arm around her shoulder in his khaki shorts and red polo. Nightfire was next to him in blue athletic shorts and a blue jersey with white stripes. She looked around at the group, she saw that Levitate had decided to stay in his skinny jeans and white shirt, his mother looked exhausted and exasperated at her attempt to make him change into more spring clothes. Telly stood off to the side, she was wearing a brand-new yellow blouse with short white shorts as well, for she and Starfire had gone shopping together the other day in search of new clothes for her, especially since she had hardly any to begin with.

"I'm not going like this!" The group turned at the source of the shouting. Cyborg, Sarah, and Vicky were still all getting changed, well, at least Sarah and Vicky were, Cyborg didn't need to change due to him being a robot. Finally they emerged from the hall and Spencer's laughter burst through the silence like a brick through a window. Vicky was wearing a yellow dress with white flowers dotted along it. Sarah was wearing a pink skirt and a white skirt in heels. The family looked like they were going to Easter Mass at Church.

At Spencer's laughter, Vicky's face turned bright red and she clenched her fists in anger.

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT'S FUNNY!" She lifted her fist outwards in deviance and triggered the cannon on her arm as it emerged from her watch. She had made significant improvements to her design and it was now able to fit everything from her jewelry, interconnecting from her watch to her necklace and bracelets on her wrists and ankles, plus she was able to control which part of the suit she wanted out at what time. It was pretty impressive.

The cannon quickly whirled and fired out a blast. Spencer let out a yelp and quickly ducked as the sonic wave passed over him, shattering the windows behind him. He quickly got back up and, with a smirk on his face, generated a dark energy ball in his hand.

"Oh it's on." He moved forward, arm behind him raised to throw the ball at her. He galloped on the last step and brought himself to pitch the energy at her, before he was stopped by his own mother.

"YOU WILL NOT RUN THIS DAY SPENCER RICHARD LOGAN!" she screamed at him. Spencer tried to unsuccessfully maneuver a way out of her energy grip, but eventually sighed in defeat. No one could beat their mom.

After the initial cool-down and clean up, the group headed out to the park together. They all traveled in their own way, but they all more or less arrived at the same time. Spencer immediately hopped out of the car with Frisbee in hand and pointed out towards the green field.

"Ten bucks to whoever catches this!" he reeled his arm back and flicked the disk far into the distance. Spencer's dad shape shifted into a hawk and skyrocketed towards the flying Frisbee, catching it with his talons. He flew back and shape shifted back into his human form and smugly handed Spencer the disk and held out his hand. Spencer dug into his pocket and took out his wallet, handing his father the money.

"cheater…" he muttered under his breath. Garfield didn't seem to mind as the smugly took the money from his son. The group laughed and they spread out to enjoy the day. Garfield offered his hand out to his wife and Raven gingerly took it, both walking hand-in-hand towards a nearby tree and they lay the blanket down underneath the shade, both enjoying just watching their son and his friends play. Spencer and Levitate were tossing the Frisbee back and forth while Telly, Nightfire, and Vicky watched gently on the side, enjoying the sun. All the parents had agreed to watch from a distance underneath the tree that Garfield and Raven had set their stuff aside to. The day was going great. The sun shined gently through the white, fluffy clouds on the beautiful, blue sky, children were playing happily as they frolicked, the Titan children were enjoying themselves, the adults were relaxing, smoke rose into the sky from the city…

Garfield's eyes shot open wide. Smoke? He removed his arm from around his wife's shoulder and stood up, gazing at the harsh, black cloud rising from the heart of the city. The smoke billowed out, carrying itself over the park. Garfield's tentative ears were able to distinguish screams coming from within the city. Horns blared and tire screeches were heard as the dark cloud slowly blocked out the sun and descended down upon the entire city, stretching its evil black arms across towards the park. Titan Tower was once easily visible in the distance, but now it was blocked out by the malicious dark substance.

The young heroes watched as the dark cloud slowly crept towards them, expanding to encompass the entire city. Spencer could feel the sweat being soaked up into his shirt as fear crept in. The dark cloud reminded him of his nightmare, and he soon got the feeling that it wasn't any ordinary nightmare; it was coming true.

A light stroke sent a tingling sensation up his shoulder. He looked to see Nightfire look at him. She seemed to know what he was thinking. Her eyes pleaded at him not to go, and for a while, he wanted to listen to her. He had only just gotten back, it wasn't really his responsibility to protect the city. Their parents could do it for them, they were far more capable, and yet….

Spencer sighed and blasted off in the direction of the city, not even waiting for the others to say anything. He knew it was a rash thing to do; he really should stop jumping into these kinds of things. It probably infuriated his mother, but there really nothing much he could do to stop himself. He was just born for the hero gig.

Looking up at the surface world through the shadows, Spencer was able to distinctly point out the flying form of Levitate on his board as he sped towards the city. It seemed his silent friend had the same impulse as he did. Behind Levitate, Spencer could just make out the forms of the rest of his friends and his own parents. It looked like they were going to do this together.

_Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought it would. _Spencer thought to himself. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he may have met his match. Shaking the feeling off Spencer made his way through the shadows to the center of the city. Stopping, he jumped up and emerged to the surface world, forming a tornado of smoke and ash at the area where he emerged, but as soon as he cleared the small area, it moved back around to encompass him. Searching through the fog and smoke, Spencer saw the outline of his friends and family.

"SPECER LOGAN IF YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN I WILL GROUND YOU FOR LIFE!" yep, definitely friends and family. His mother walked through the dust and glared daggers at him. She seemed unaffected as the wind blew ash and smoke around her and into her eyes. Spencer had to hold up his arm to his face to block out as much dust as possible. Save for Nightwing, Levitate, Tech Girl, Cyborg, and apparently his mom, everyone else had to block out the dust. It was too thick and it blocked out all sources of light. Spencer couldn't see a damn thing.

_Calm yourself. You're the Prince of Darkness. You shouldn't care about the stupid light. _But the smoke and ashes still affected him. He still was as blind as everyone else, and he was still worried. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the cold hands making their way towards his neck.

**Hey guys, I've kind of ended this chapter early, I've been keeping you guys waiting long enough. I apologize though, I've had a lot of crap going on with college preparedness and making my last year in high school awesome: plus a lot of last minute projects my teachers give me :P So here's this chapter. Please give feedback so I know I still have you guys. It's obviously been about a month or two. **


	4. The Start of an Unknown War

**Yes I know it's been a very long time so forgive me if I miss a few details. Upon receiving several kind and thoughtful reviews on my story I felt I couldn't stand it any longer and had to write again to make you guys happy :D. So please enjoy and hopefully I haven't lost my touch. Again thanks to all who kept reading you guys are awesome! Please review so I know if I should continue or not!**

**Titans Unite!**

**Chapter 4: Nightskin – God of Night**

The smoke billowed into Nightfire's lungs. It was thick and black, consuming everything around them. She had lost sight of Spencer. Geez, why must everything go wrong when something is about to go right?

She searched the smoke for any sign of her friends and family. Even a silhouette would be helpful at this point. She began to float into the air and carried herself above the smoke, she quickly realized that she'd be able to see her friends easier this way. Nightfire may seem like a bit of a ditz like her mother, but she still had the keen instinct of her father rushing through her veins. To her left was Levitate, floating on his board, silent and stern as always, his eyes focused on the area below him. It seemed like he had the same idea. Though they hadn't know each other for very long, Nightfire had to admit: Levitate was the one she would turn towards for guidance if Spencer had ever…..

_Woah, slow down! You've already lost him once and you'll be damned if you lose him again!_ She couldn't explain it, but ever since the Slade incident she couldn't help but feel her heart clench tightly in fear whenever she thought of Spencer. And with all the strange dreams she's been having only making it worse. She'd be damned if he ever escaped her again.

Looking down she caught a glimpse of Spencer and she felt an immediate rush of relief envelope her. Spencer was in his fighting stance, it was obvious that he couldn't see anything, but Nightfire wasn't worried. Spencer could handle any surprises. But there was something odd…. Something dark. Some of the smoke cleared and Nighfire's feelings of security quickly turned as she the dark figure slowly appeared behind Spencer, his arms outstretched.

"SPENCER!"

Spencer looked upward towards the mention of his name. He could barely make out the slim outline of Nightfire above him. Now what was she yelling about?

A quick blur in the corner of his eye was the only thing that saved him. Two black hands shot out towards his neck, forcing Spencer to backflip out of the way. He landed on his feet and instantly adapted himself into his fighting stance. His animal instincts and Nightfire had narrowly saved his life from that…. What the hell was that thing?

It was some sort of creature, not like any animal Spencer had ever seen. It was tall, very tall. Maybe about seven feet. It didn't even look humanoid. It had four dark claws stretched out where Spencer's neck had formally been. It's large, scorpion-like head stared straight forward at him. Drool was excessively dripping from its pincers. It was a black, shadowy thing. It reeked of evil. A long tail with a long stinger swung lazily behind it.

It growled a low rumble and tilted its head slightly to the side, inspecting its prey. Even more drool escaped its mouth. Spencer grimaced in disgust. Guess it was hungry.

The thing lunged forward at top speed. Spencer's eyes widened and he jumped to the side, the creature grazing him, scratching the ground in a pierce tearing sound as it stopped itself to charge again. Damn it was fast.

"Spencer! Heads up!"

Spencer turned to the sound of Nightwing's voice. He had his quarter staff out and was in midswing. Spencer was always in awe when he saw his parents and their friends fight. Nightwing swung his staff and smacked the strange creature with a mighty thwack. The sound of metal hitting the insect-like exoskeleton was a large crack. The giant creature flew back from the impact and into the smoke, Nightwing landed next to Spencer and got into his ready stance. They both knew that that hit wasn't enough to kill that thing. Another snarl came from behind them. And from the left. And the right.

"Oh shit."

About half a dozen stingers flew out of the smoke towards the two fighters. Spencer quickly put up a Shadow Wall to block the incoming barrage. The impacts were ferocious and relentless, but the shield held. The onslaught was so great the lashes began to clear the smoke, though Spencer began to wish the smoke had stayed.

**I hope this will satisfy you guys for right now! Please review and tell me how it looks to you guys. If you have suggestions or observations please tell me :) Thanks a bunch!**


	5. Update

**Update!**

So it's been two years about since I last wrote. I hope that I've gotten better at writing since then haha. I also hope that one of my old readers sees this and gets excited. I have decided to continue with the story. College is really a pain and tends to get in the way of things. I'm now ready to get back into it as soon as I can. As this is being read I'm probably working on the next chapter or perhaps even a new story! R&R what you think of the story so far though if you want to interject anything, but I hope to get this back out there soon! Peace out!


	6. Chapter 5 The Face of the Enemy

**It has been a long time hasn't it? Well I hope I haven't lost my readers because I'm hoping to go into overdrive! I found this lying around and was like, shit I totally forgot about this. Knowing me, though, I hate to leave things unfinished. Without further ado, here is the continuation of the story. **

**Chapter 5 The Face of the Enemy**

The battle raged on. Smoke continued its dark ascent into the sky. It had been such a beautiful day too. Beast Boy shrugged. This was what it meant to be a hero. Unfortunately, though, he had gotten his son into this mess as well.

Spencer.

The boy just didn't know how to say no didn't he? Just a small sign of trouble and he bursts towards it headfirst and guns blazing. Beast Boy ducked in time to manage dodging a swinging stinger, these things were no problem.

_But still…. What if they were? _He thought to himself. _Without even knowing the danger Spencer ran towards the smoke. If these things were an issue, Spencer would be hurt right now after rushing in like that. _He jumped over another stinger, transformed himself into a gorilla, and laid some smackdown on the weird creature. Knocking it into the hard concrete. _Him and I need to have a serious talk later. _

Telly was not having a pleasant day to be sure. She was fighting completely blind where her powers had very little effect. She wasn't a fighter! She preferred to escape those kinds of situations. That's why seeing Levitate viciously tear apart those creatures gave her comfort. She wasn't a violent person and was never meant to be. Heck, even her great "power" was to get the hell away from wherever she was. A large silhouette formed in the smoke behind her, she barely noticed it in time to duck out of the way, releasing a small squeal of terror in the process. She teleported farther out of the smoke. Yeah, she wasn't being of great use here. She looked above to see the golden haired boy her mind often wandered towards. He was on his door-board, moving around above the smoke, a large grouping of rock and debris were behind him. She watched as he scanned the smoke, acquire a target, then blast a rock off into the smoke, where a mighty crack and scream would signal a successful hit. Telly was amazed at the boy. To her, he was probably the most in-control of their hero group: calm, collected, powerful. He was a great vice-captain in her eyes. _Maybe even a captain_. Spencer, on the other hand….

It wasn't that Telly didn't trust Spencer or think of him as weak, but she noticed that he tended to go all-out, all the time. He was a great planner before a battle (like when they went to fight Slade), but when it got to that point…. He would be prone to improvise when it may not have been necessary. He didn't have to put all that weight on himself. Sure they had silently elected him as their leader at that time, but yet…. She felt that he didn't have a trusting bone in his body. She watched as an explosion rocketed a large grouping of the creatures into the air, each landing with a hard thud onto the ground. They didn't get up. Telly looked back towards the smoke. It seemed the battle was dying down, but yet….

There wasn't that feeling of relief.

Spencer punched another scorpion-monster into the ground, his hand black with Shadow Energy. The creature's face exploded on impact and Spencer turned to find another foe. He was breathing heavily. _What is with me? _It wasn't as if the creatures were terribly difficult. Sure they were fast but he quickly adapted to the situation to match their speed as best he could. He looked to his side; Nightwing was spinning that staff of his around back in place to ready for another attack. Spencer saw him give a quick glance in his direction, a questioning look on his face. Did he really look that beat up to the former Boy Wonder?

A sharp pain shot through his side and Spencer did all he could to muffle a scream. He grabbed his ribs. Shit! He had forgotten he wasn't entirely healed yet. He looked around to see if anybody else noticed this. Everyone was wrapping up their fight and he breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed only Nightwing had seen him. He wasn't worried about the great detective going around and telling everybody just how hurt Spencer was; for all his stoicism, Nightwing knew what it meant to be a leader and look strong. Spencer knew that him and Nightwing had that special, silent, connection. An unspoken respect for each other as leaders.

As the others finished, Spencer turned to the great Titan leader. They were probably thinking the same thing:

_What the hell were those things?_

"Spencer, I think we should…." Nightwing didn't get the chance to finish.

Spencer couldn't even track the explosion as it engulfed Nighwing head on. They say in times like these everything slows down, but it doesn't. It was quick and warranted no time for reaction or realization. Nightwing's face didn't even have time to look surprised as his body was surrounded by flames.

Spencer stood in shock. His best friend's father had just been seemingly annihilated. His feet were glued to the spot. He heard a high scream and watched as a green missile shot down into the new smoke. Spencer could only guess that it was Starfire flying in to save her man. He watched as they exited, Nightwing unconscious in Starfire's arms. Spencer breathed out. He hadn't realized he was holding his breath.

"Impressive. I would have thought that even the Boy Wonder wouldn't have survived that." A voice said coolly.

Spencer's eyes widened. That voice. He turned his gaze away from his friend's parents and looked towards the direction of the voice. A man was there standing on the rooftop. His hand casually in his pocket, dressed in what looked to be an expensive black suit and red tie. Jet black hair and a smirk, the man was handsome and power seemed to scream from his body. Spencer was still frozen. He had felt this before.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" The man chuckled to himself. "Apparently I've left you all speechless. Shame, I was expecting more from Titans. Especially when I blew up their leader."

The Titans just looked in awe at the man. They had faced plenty of enemies before, enemies that seemed unbeatable at the time: demons, magicians, psychos, and everything in-between. This man, though, was different. Every instinct that Spencer had screamed to run away, but he was frozen in place.

It was Starfire who broke the stand-off. She had placed Nightwing in Sarah's care and told them to get the hell out of there, then she charged.

There was a fury in her eyes, glowing bright green in anger. She was faster than anything Spencer had seen before. It took her maybe two seconds to stop directly in front of the strange man, her hand up and glowing for a strike. Spencer smirked. This man was going to get what was coming to him.

But the man didn't even budge.

Starfire's arm crashed into the man's face and a bright green light exploded outwards, blinding the rest of the group. It was quite the attack, one that Spencer was sure would end the battle before it even began, but dread crept into him as he slowly regained his sight. Starfire had landed the punch…. but the man hadn't stopped smiling.

They were frozen in time it seemed. The man hadn't moved even the slightest at Starfire's attack. Starfire. THE Starfire. The very same Starfire who was known for her super strength and power. It was as if she had been replaced by a different Starfire. This Starfire was trembling, her first still planted firmly in the man's face. All composure gone, she released an onslaught of attacks on the man, ignoring how her first punch had done nothing. She was relentless, but ultimately pointless. The man moved his arm only slightly, but Spencer noticed it.

"STARFIRE LOOK OUT!"

His shout was useless as the man pulled his hand from his pocket and backslapped the alien hero, sending her flying to the side and into the nearest building, creating a mighty crash as glass and concrete exploded at the impact. Spencer watched in horror as the alien didn't emerge from the wreckage.

"ALRIGHT KIDS! GET MOVING!"

Spencer turned to see Cyborg moving into play. He was the one who had made the order. Spencer turned towards his parents, but they were also on the move. Raven flew towards the building Starfire had ran into and Beastboy was with Cyborg, charging the man.

"Spencer!"

He looked up to see Nightfire floating just above him, worry in her eyes. Spencer felt a pain of worry for his friend. She had just witnessed both her parents get taken down by that monster of a man with seemingly no effort at all. Yet there she was, keeping him focused. Spencer growled at the thought. What kind of leader would fall short like that?

Yet he complied and headed back towards the Tower. He couldn't resist one last glance at both his father and godfather going all out against the strange man. He was disappointed to see they weren't having much luck.

Beastboy transformed into a T-rex and chomped at the man, but he effortlessly moved away. Who was this guy?

"Garfield!"

Beastboy turned to his wife. She was waiting for him, Starfire slung across her shoulders all beat-up and bruised. He smiled inwardly. That was his Raven.

"Well it seems I have played my part." Beastboy turned and glared at the man. The man was still standing there casually. Smirking. He could've killed them all right then, but he decided against it. What fun would that be?

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers and, just like that, he disappeared.

Beastboy didn't put his defenses down, but he was secretly glad the man got away. He knew he had been doing no damage and continuing the fight would've been disastrous for them. He transformed into a hawk and flew back to Titan Tower, his wife and best friend right behind him. Things were not looking good.

**Well that seems like a good place to stop for now. Don't worry though! This time it won't take two years for me to put up another chapter! I'm glad that you guys have been patient and hope that this story was worth the wait. Next chapter will be up soon! Please R&R. Thanks. **


	7. Chapter 6 A Tense Wait

**Welcome to a long chapter. I feel this one is one of my moderate-skilled works, but if you Read and Review I can get a better gauge on how I'm doing. Thank you guys for reading and enjoy the show! **

**Chapter 6: A Tense Wait**

"and remember to bring extra medicine vials. You never know what might happen."

"Mom…."

Levitate groaned. His mother had been at this for over an hour now, dressing and undressing him for the big ball. He really wished that she would just let it drop already. Sure it was a big event, but it wasn't something to get obsessive over.

"Don't you 'mom' me Billy! Tonight is a big night and I will not let my boy look like a hooligan in front of the mayor! So stop squirming and let me tighten this tie."

Levitate felt the "tie" tighten around his neck. He didn't care what everyone else called it; to him it felt like a noose and made it hard to breathe.

"There. Now don't you look handsome?" The ground manipulator gazed in admiration at her work. Her son actually looked like a respectable man of society! Though it did take a suit as expensive as that to make it happen. It was a vested suit, plainly colored with penguin black and white. Levitate just hoped nobody at the party would mistake him for a waiter.

Terra smiled at her son. He looked so much like his father that she could hardly stand it. A tear was brought to her eye just thinking about it. Her little boy had been grown up for a while now, she just never wanted to admit it. Ever since the day his father died he had been so selfless, always playing the "silent hero" in the background. He even had gotten that job those two years ago at that chemical factory. A knot formed in her stomach just thinking about it. If he hadn't gotten a job there, he never would've had been knocked in those chemical and wouldn't have to take that stupid medicine and he wouldn't of had to live like a Titan as she had (no matter how brief it was). Still he never complained, silently taking on the responsibility that had been thrust upon him.

She knew that it could never make up for what she had done to the old Titans, but just seeing her son take up the reigns as a Titan and doing the right things (the things she never had the courage to do) made her feel better. She may not deserve forgiveness, but seeing her son overshadow her mistakes with his accomplishments brought an unexpected peace to her heart. She was just so proud of him.

Levitate watched as her mother trembled, tears streaming down her face. She was still holding onto his tie. He didn't know what she was thinking about, but he brought her into his embrace. Maybe she was afraid? It had been a close call that one time.

_That man._

Two weeks had passed since their encounter with those weird creatures and the casual man and everyone was feeling on edge. Nobody really understood it was all. To them, the man looked as though he could finish them off without any effort at all. Both Nightwing and Starfire were still recovering from their injuries (though Cyborg gave them clearance to move around). So why didn't he? Why did the man just attack and vanish like that?

Levitate sighed. His mind really wasn't meant for that kind of thinking. He just simply did and did not. To him it was that simple: you do the things you need to and leave alone the things that you don't. He moved to grab the suit's jacket. It was that simple.

####3

Vicky continued her furious typing, the massive computer in front of her whirling violently as it ran its programs. She gulped another one of her energy drinks, her eyes never leaving the screen of the monitor in front of her. The entire Stone family had been working practically non-stop in the computer room since the incident; running programs and calculating variables, acting as add-ons to the supercomputer.

She looked to her mother, a blanket draped over her shoulders as she lay face down on her keyboard, snoring unattractively. The three Stones were stretching their limits with this search: chasing every crime and suspicious circumstance that happened to come up. Ultimately they ended up the same way they started: with nothing. And now they had that stupid dance to go too! Her brow furrowed and puckered her lips, a trait she picked up from her mother whenever she felt stumped and frustrated. _What was the motive?_

She laid her face down on the keyboard and whispered curses to it. She always hoped that it would act as a sort of spell to get the computer to give her what she wanted. To date it has never worked. She sighed and looked towards her father. He was still typing furiously, though she could see the dark bags under his eyes. Cyborg may be part machine, but he was also part human and needed to recharge as frequently as everybody else. She didn't blame him for not taking a break these past two weeks. There was still so much that needed to be done! She looked at her watch, her agitation growing even greater. She had to get ready for the ball soon. She turned back to her monitor and kept typing – she could spare five minutes.

#####3

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Please No!"

"Garfield Logan you will take a shower this instant!"

The green man gave his wife his mightiest frown. It wasn't very effective.

"Fine."

Spencer watched as his father marched out of the room and into the bathroom. He didn't blame his mother for her ferocious insistence on her husband's cleanliness. Both father and son had been training these past view weeks, practically non-stop, save to eat and sleep. Those two weeks of sweat had seemed to stick to them both like a second skin and Spencer could tell his mother was going to have none of it. He was feeling lucky that he had had enough sense to shower earlier so that he didn't have to feel his mother's wrath.

Though she didn't look the part at the moment, Spencer always knew how devastating his mother could truly be when she didn't get her way. Behind the elegant dark purple dress and bunned hair of the wife to the heir to the Steve Dayton (Mento of the Doom Patrol) fortune, laid the half-demon Titan who could make anyone submit to her will if she desired. Spencer had seen that side plenty as he grew up and he knew it wasn't pretty to be on the receiving end of it. Tonight, though, he had to admit… his mom looked stunning.

"Spencer will you do me a favor and put the holoring on your father's clothes for me? I know he hates it, but he was invited as Garfield Logan and so he has to go as Garfield Logan." She was putting her earrings on in the mirror, fiddling with how they went on. She never used them much, so putting them on was always a pain in the ass. The one piece of jewelry that Spencer had never seen leave his mother's body, though, was a small bracelet. It wasn't fancy or very decorative for it only had one "bead," well, a penny actually. Spencer had never asked about it before, it had always been there.

"Got it mom." Spencer grabbed the ring and placed by his father's clothes – a white shirted suit with a green vest and tie. Typical him.

Spencer stared at the suit and, though he couldn't explain why it had to be this moment, he felt unease. Here they were, casually preparing to go to a high-class party as a family, and the strange man was still on the loose. Spencer clenched his fists. That man needed to pay for how he made him feel – frightened and alone. He was supposed to be a hero for Azarath's sake! Heroes don't stand around in shock watching as his friends get beaten. Next time, he planned, the man would be sorry to have met him.

He straightened his tie as he thought. Him and Levitate had gotten similar suits, both dark and white in origin, save he kept a purple vest and tie instead of a black one. He felt uncomfortable going to a ball considering the circumstance, but the parents had insisted on going and let the computer run its program. They weren't doing any good here, so might as well relax a bit.

He sighed and donned on his jacket. He sure hoped they could relax.

#######3

Telly sat in the chair quietly as she listened to Nightfire hum a tune as she curled the teleporting girl's hair. She had never had the privilege of siblings before, so the "getting dressed and ready" girly stuff had always been a sort of far off dream. It felt kind of nice.

Never once had Telly had a proper home. Hell, she didn't even know her real name. When she was born she had been dropped off at the Gotham City orphanage without even a name to be called on. She grew up there, simply shying away from the other kids. No one really called her anything. It wasn't as though she was picked on or called "freak". The kids and adults just let her sit in her corner and daydream. She guessed that itself was tragic in its own way. When she had reached thirteen she decided to leave, just to escape. She knew she wasn't going to go anywhere there and nobody would really have asked or notice if she was missing anyway, so she got up and left. Until now she had been active in moving from place to place, taking care not to overstay her welcome at any one time.

"So Telly, you got to tell me…" Nightfire started off, continuing to curl the blonde girl's fair hair. "what's going on between you and Billy?"

She could feel the blush reach through her entire body at the sheer mention of the blonde boy's name.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She muttered, casting her eyes down; tracing the swirls of the carpet. Absolutely no idea.

Nightfire chuckled. Sure she didn't.

Nightfire always had this extreme girly side to her, courtesy of her mother, and relished in the idea of prepping for dances and dates. Her dress shimmered elegantly as she worked on Telly. It was a shiny black dress that looked as though it belonged on the red carpet and Nightfire had squealed the second she had laid eyes on it. It really was a beautiful dress and Nightfire couldn't help but feel confident in the "knock-out" factor it would bring. She continued her humming, imagining a certain dark-haired boy in his best suit.

#########3

The Jump City Mayor's Ball was always the most elegant event of the year, where the city's rich and famous attended to satisfy their desire to be noticed. Everyone from politicians to actors to the heirs of large fortunes and even a few superheroes (though it had become a sort of game for any hero that attended, disguising themselves to see if any party attendee could find them out) attended the event. As it turned out, though, the Titans had not been invited as heroes, but as their alter egos (Nightwing was the heir to the Wayne fortune, Beast Boy was the heir to the Dayton fortune, Cyborg and Sarah were there as well-known scientists and researchers) save for Terra, who Beast Boy had persuaded the city to be "his personal guest". It had been almost tragic when Raven had found out, practically every appliance and object in their room had broken by the sudden emotion. Of course her husband failed to notice and Garfield had just kept smiling, oblivious to having done anything wrong. Spencer didn't get it either (he never knew about Terra and his father's history together) but just figured that the changeling probably deserved it. The episode did, however, caused a brief feud between Levitate and Spencer, the former being pissed at Raven for hating his mother so unfairly with Spencer retaliating that Levitate had no right to judge his mother. For two days they had their "war". Many souls were lost.

Spencer wiped a tear from his face in recollection. Poor Pigsy… that brave, brave soul. May he rest in peace. At the moment the two were at a cease fire (but only at Cyborg's insistence). Both boys were never actually angry at each other, but after seeing how much fun they were having as well as how much it agitated the man-machine, they had refused to let up on the battles. Unfortunately, Levitate had been in the lead by the time they had paused the "war".

Spencer looked out the window of the limousine. To keep up appearances, each family had to arrive in their own cars, save for his and Levitate's (since him, Terra, and Telly were his family's special guests) who were riding in the same vehicle. He had been to this ball plenty of times before with both Nightfire and Vicky when he was younger, but as the years went by his family had become less and less frequent to appear at them, making this one his first in five years. He turned away from the window and caught Levitate in the corner of his eye briefly glancing at him. Their eyes met and the spark of rivalry erupted between them.

"Ready?"

A brief nod in response.

"Ok. 1…. 2…. 3!"

"Rock!"

"Scissors!"

################3

Levitate relished in his victory for the rest of the ride, Spencer seeking solace in his mother's comfort. It wasn't long afterword when they arrived at the ball. A red carpet was set before their door, paparazzi flashing their cameras in their direction, reporters holding out recorders to get a brief word from Jump City's incredibly rich and famous. Spencer just kept walking besides his parents, looking straight ahead. It was unfortunate, but tonight he had to play the role of not Spencer Logan the hero, but Spencer Logan the civilized son of wealthy parents.

The ballroom was grand and Victorian. A high crystal chandelier hung magnificently from the ceiling. A miniature orchestra and band was set-up in the corner next to a large stage and podium. Everywhere he looked there were the rich and famous of Jump City and beyond.

"Oh my dear. Is that the delightful Spencer Logan I see? Spencer!"

He winced slightly at the voice, its sweet gentleness stirring unpleasant emotions inside him. His animal instincts screamed at him to disappear, for they had certainly recognized the voice that he had thought himself to have forgotten. He turned towards the owner of the voice and smiled as, what he hoped would be considered, genuinely as he could muster. A rather young looking woman glided to his side. She was about his age, yet most would contest her beauty to be timeless. Her black hair shone brightly though it was in a bun and her long silver gown seemed to sparkle at her every move, no matter how subtle it seemed. She was truly radiant and beautiful as well as truly accustomed to the social elegance that most children her age tossed aside at their earliest chance. She was the prize that every wealthy parent strived for in their daughters, yet she was the one who seemed to have succeeded at such aristocratic perfection in both looks and grace. And Spencer was terrified of her.

Her name was Maria Thompson, daughter of successful corporate business owners Lloyd and Amelia Thompson. She had always looked and played the part of the perfect daughter and society member. Even when she was little Spencer could remember the grace in her gait and the delicate smile she would give. It was a smile that made you fawn over the girl and throw yourself to her whim. The shy, dainty, look of a young girl who seemed flattered at the attention as though she had never seen or heard it before (though she already had).

She smiled gently at him, gracing him with her perfect teeth. When she smiled most people would claim they felt as though they could melt on the spot in the presence of such majesty, but not Spencer. No, he would feel an alarm of sorts go off, as if the smile was simply a distraction to hide some ulterior motive that lay behind her eyes. Spencer would always make the effort to look at Ms. Maria in the eyes whenever they had the unfortunate pleasure to meet. His animal instincts screamed at him to do it. He recalled the first time he stared into her eyes: a deep intelligence and planning seemed to work behind those eyes and it had scared him. Even now he would still see those eyes somewhere whenever he had a nightmare. Always those eyes.

"Ms. Thompson," he bowed. Always bow before a Thompson. "You look rather elegant this evening." Those etiquette classes his mother forced him to take with Nightwing had really paid off.

She laughed. A sweet laugh. It was a laugh one would imagine someone of her standing and beauty to have. Its sweetness always tried to stir Spencer into a laxity that he struggled to shrug off. To him she was a siren and her voice would lead him to his doom, but to what doom he did not know. It just an inkling of paranoia, but Spencer had always liked being paranoid; it made it easier to fight. If his instincts said something wasn't right, he was going to listen to them.

"Why thank you Master Logan. You yourself look rather handsome." She eyed him up and down, just briefly without moving her head, and when their eyes met again, Spencer saw the new look of hunger in her eyes. He gulped but she didn't seem to notice.

"But please, no more formalities. I would rather be called Maria and to call you Spencer. We have known each other since we were children." She smiled again. That distracting smile…

"Whatever makes you comfortable Ms. Maria." _Wow I sound like a damn butler._

"Delightful! Now you must tell me of all your exploits since we've last seen each other. When was that? I believe it had been at the Christmas fundraiser if I remember correctly. Yes, yes I think I do. You were wearing a most handsome sweater at the time weren't you?" She wove her arm through his and pulled him near, reddening Spencer's face to be so near. Spencer may not have trusted her, but he was still a young man, and a man could not help but blush at the touch of such a stimulating woman, especially one whose body would rival that of the gods.

_Ok. Concentrate. Don't fall for anything. There's something weird with her. Just focus… _Her scent reached his heightened nose and Spencer just about lost control of his composure right there. Her smell was divine! Strawberries! She smelled of fresh strawberries! His momentary lapse in concentration was enough for him to forget where he was supposed to be looking. His mind stopped as he recognized the young woman's true beauty.

Her curvature was bold to behold. The body of a goddess with breasts that would shame all others. His hand briefly touched her exposed arm and the simple act of touching her skin made him weak at the knees. She was soft – smooth. Just the touch stimulated his animal instincts to the surface, but he pushed them back down. Her face, though, now that he was seeing it fully (instead of only her eyes) he couldn't tear himself away. She looked as though she had been the product of an artist who refused to stop working on her. The more he looked at her, the more beautiful she became. She kept talking, but her words didn't reach his ears, her beauty was just so enticing. He moved his stare back into her eyes, wondering what gems he would behold, and the spell was broken.

Her eyes flashed the same arrogance and manipulative thinking that he had so often imagined. Looking into those eyes forced his mind to click back into place and remember his paranoia. He tore away from her gaze and focused straight ahead. She didn't seem to notice.

"…. So I must take you to my family's winter lodge. Oh the two of us could ski together and relax. Oh I'm certain that my parents would lent it to the both of us. What do you say?"

He didn't know what to say, he had missed a great deal of the conversation already. He was afraid to look at her again. Never before had this happened to him when he had seen her in past events so why was she so attractive to him tonight?

"uhhh…."

"Oi! Spencer! Get over here! There's someone I want you to meet!"

Spencer turned at the sound of his father's voice. He was waving ecstatically, his empath wife holding her head in her hand as if she could hide in it, shaking it back and forth in embarrassment. Next to them was an older man dressed in a tux that had obviously been used excessively. Despite his obvious gray and white hair and winkled face, the man was in decent shape for a man in a wheelchair.

Spencer took this opportunity to escape from the vacuum that Maria seemed to make. He turned to her and bowed quickly, being careful to keep his eyes trained on the ground. She curtseyed in reply and he rushed off to meet his father.

"Spencer, I would like you to meet Master Bruce Wayne of Gotham City." Garfield swept his arms dramatically as he gestured to the alias of the renowned Dark Knight.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Rachel and Garfield have been telling me all about your, ah, 'recent activities'. I must say that I'm quite impressed. It sounds as you did more than that lazy bird over there." His thumb gestured behind him and Spencer couldn't help but laugh to see the Bat pointing at none other than his former ward who was too busy showcasing his wife and daughter to the other wealthy couples at the party.

"Well Mr. Wayne, I'm flattered that you think so." Always be polite, act wealthy. It took every ounce of resistance in Spencer's body to keep from ecstatically shaking the hero's hand. The Bat was in front of him.

##########3

Nightfire kept her poise and emotions in check. God how she hated it. Nevertheless, her father had trained her well in how to walk, talk, and act like the daughter of a wealthy family and she was not going to let that training go to waste. Tonight she was under the alias of Cindy Grayson, daughter of Dick and Kari Grayson. Yet despite all her grace and poise, she could not help but give a fleeting glance and now and again towards her friend Spencer. At the moment he was arm-in-arm with Maria Thompson, the beauty of the ball. She always hated her. How dare she put her arms around Spencer as if he was hers to take! Though, come to think of it, Spencer didn't seem to be resisting. Actually he seemed to be enjoying it.

_No! You know Spencer better than that. You and him had never liked that stuck-up bitch anyways! She was always so… off. _

God damn it! Why did he have to look at her as if she was the only girl in the room! She could practically feel the starbolts forming to her hands. She may have just attacked the girl, but Spencer seemed to break the spell. He finally turned away from the girl and stopped, a look of confusion painted his face. Nightfire continued to stare until she saw him finally bow and walk away. She breathed a sigh of relief as her friend made his way to his parents and a winkled old man in a wheelchair. At least Spencer wouldn't get caught up in a lustful desire over a crippled man. She returned her attention back to the men her father was introducing her too. She smiled. It was obviously fake.

###########3

"And that's when I said, '401K? I can barely be bothered with my fifteen limousines!' AHAHAHAHAHA"

Vicky smacked herself in the face. Her father always did this around rich people. The two men he was telling this particularly bad joke to, though, seemed to understand it enough to let out chuckles. Perhaps the joke actually made sense? Doubt it. Vicky was 99% certain that it was less of a laugh directed at the joke and more likely a laugh directed at her father. She turned to her mother, pleading to get them out of this, but was only granted a smile of sympathy in return. They were both stuck with her father's terrible acting.

"Well Mr. Stone, it seems that you are a busy man. With your "fifteen limousines" and all." This man's voice was particularly monotone to Vicky. She had already forgotten his name, and thus was resolved to call him "Mono! Protector of jack shit!"

"Yes, I totally agree. Mr. Stone, it must be difficult to deal with such ignorant peasants. Right?" The man beside Mono spoke with a bright shining smile on his face. Vicky noticed he had never let that smile falter from his face, though (if she was going to be honest) it was kind of hard to see it behind that giant nose of his. She called him Long Nose.

"Well, let's be honest. Although I have to practically whip my idiot servants around all day, nothing is too good for my daughter! Tell them Victoria about my wonderful fatherhood!"

Cyborg pushed his daughter in front of him, offering her as a sacrifice to the wealthy gods Long Nose and Mono. She was totally going to have to get back at her father for this humiliation.

"No it's quite alright Mr. Stone. I'm sure you're a wonderful father." _Why thank you Long Nose for your attempt to get me out of this._

"No no! She insists! Go on Victoria! Tell them all about how you're daddy's little girl!"

"I'm not."

"Oh yes you are!"

"DAD! YOU'RE SUFFOCATNG ME! STOP THE HUG!"

"DADDY'S LITTLE BOO-YAH!"

"GAHHH!"

Sarah chuckled at the scene between her husband and daughter. She was so happy this was her family. Mono and Long Nose, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed – Mono with not even the slightest shift in expression or Long Nose faltering from his magnificent grin. Sarah had to admit that it was very unsettling, but then again… they were rich people.

#####3

"They're a strange bunch aren't they?"

"Don't have to tell me twice."

Levitate (or Billy, he guessed tonight) and Telly (who was going under the name Trinity) were standing by the appetizers, simply chilling out. His mom had gone to the restroom briefly to "freshen up" for all the handsome, young (and incredibly rich) bachelors at the party and had left the two blondes alone. The food seemed to be the only interesting thing at the party, well, one of the "only" interesting things.

Levitate couldn't help but give fleeting glances towards his pretty companion. Nightfire had done a hell of a job making Telly look drop-dead gorgeous. Her blonde hair was curled beautifully and bounced slightly at the shake of her head. It was practically hypnotic. She was in a blue dress, similar in style to Nightfire's, but (if anyone asked him) she seemed to wear it better.

There was nothing to do at the ball for them. It wasn't as if they knew anybody or were actually invited. They were there simply because Garfield had insisted as a gesture of friendship.

The symphony struck up and the music floated through the room. Classical ballroom music – perfect for close dancing.

"May I have this dance?"

Telly stiffened and turned towards her stoic friend. He was gazing towards the dance floor, purposefully looking away from her face, but his hand was outstretched for her to take. Her heart leapt. She took a hold of his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. They were so intimate, yet not a word was spoken. Telly could not help but continue to look just at her feet, a red blush rushing to her face. She had never danced like this before, though it seemed Levitate knew just how to lead her. All she wanted to do was teleport away and disappear. She gripped his hand tighter; no, she wasn't going to run from this.

Levitate looked down at the beautifully shy girl in front of him. There was no place he'd rather be.

#############3

Nightfire looked at the two blondes and couldn't help but utter an awe. The way that Levitate was looking at Telly was the look that every girl wanted a man to give her, yet the stupid girl was so flustered that she couldn't look up and notice it! It was so cute that she could've died on the spot! A moment like that never comes around genuinely anymore.

A hand grasped ahold of hers and pulled her forward.

"What the fu-"

She spun in a complete circle. She stopped and only saw the close-up of the man's chest who pulled her. Who the hell would be bold enough to force her onto the dance floor? It was slightly peeving. She looked up to see the face of her "captor" and give him a piece of her mind. She was met with sparkling emeralds for eyes.

"I can't let Billy be the only one to show off his dance skills right?" Spencer said.

"eep"

"Yeah I got that vibe too. What a buzzkill right? Haha. Don't worry, we'll sweep them on the dance floor."

"….. eep"

"Now I won't lie: I was going to ask you to dance anyways, but that dumb blonde beat me to the punch. Oh well, guess that just means I should dance my best for you. What are your thoughts Ms. Grayson?"

Nightfire gulped. Words couldn't describe her thoughts at that point. She just grabbed hold of him tighter and brought herself closer to his chest. After everything that they've been through, she never wanted to let him go again.

Spencer smiled and accepted her desire to hold him close. They were all under a lot of stress. Fear was inevitable. He would do anything to keep that fear from surfacing, especially in Nightfire. So he danced, and failed to notice the slick man approach the microphone on the stage.

But of course fate had other plans that neither of them could control or predict, but for now…. For now they treasured the brief dance.

"Ladies and gentlemen…. May chaos begin."

They didn't even have the chance to pull away from each other as the dance floor exploded beneath them.

**Well ladies and gentlemen that one took a while to write, but I'm glad that I got it in. Please tell me what you guys thought. I know it was a really boring chapter with an obnoxious cliffhanger. To tell the truth I finished this at 2:37 am, so don't judge me. I'm also working on concept art for each character (which I may or may not put as the cover). So more soon! Again R&R. Story can't get better unless if I know what I'm doing right/wrong, am I not correct? **


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